Maiden Voyage

Skills Center

Jan — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:54:00 GMT

A month or so ago, I had breakfast at the Skills Center which is less than a quarter mile from my house. For 23 years, I traveled 15 miles to work...to a vocational center. Every time I pass the Skills Center, I dream about how simple life would have been if I'd been here, working at this Skills Center. I wouldn't have had to drive through snow; I wouldn't have had to drive past open farm fields...with the snow blowing from the fields onto the roads. I could have walked to work! But I digress.

The Skills Center has a culinary and restaurant program. They're open for breakfast and lunch.

My friend had oatmeal.

I opted for eggs and bacon. And by the way.... For years, I'd order eggs "over easy," and they were like sunny side up eggs, just the tops were a little thicker. But here, "over easy" is interpreted to mean runny. Yuck! So I've learned to order "over medium." But sometimes that's interpreted at meaning, "Well done." It's not easy. <sigh>

Look at those beautiful place settings!

The "restaurant" is open for walk ins three mornings a week. There's also a banquet room, and numerous organizations have their meetings there every month.

I love the cute little uniforms the kids wear.

Shiny kitchen!

At this Skills Center, there's also a diesel automotive program, and a banking program. There's actually a credit union on the campus, and the students work there. The cosmetology program is held in a beauty school elsewhere. Many other vocational classes are also taught in tandem with regular businesses.

It's a beautiful thing. But I'm still awfully glad I'm retired!

I apologize for the quality of the photos. My camera is on its last legs.

Fun with Photofunia.com

Jan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:08:00 GMT

A blogger shared this fun web site, and I've been having lots of giggles with it.

Isn't Paulette beautiful? Isn't Scott adorable??

Speaking of adorable...heeeeeeere's Donnie!

Layers

Jan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 17:01:00 GMT

This piece is on display at Bullseye Glass. The artist's name is not given.

I made a huge mistake here...I should have taken the photo from an angle so you can see the depth of the piece. I'd guess it's about 1" deep. The "mountain" to the right is one of the lowest layers. The "mountain" on the left is a higher layer. Then there are some layers of clear glass. Next the teensy telephone pole to the right is on a layer, with the "lines" painted. On the next layer up is the second pole, and more painted lines; same for the next two poles and lines...each is a separate layer. You really get a sense of depth!

I already know I can't do this. I won't be allowed...unless I'm willing to pay to run a kiln with nothing but my piece....for several days. I'm not. Not willing, not able. But it's fun to dream!

3-year old enthusiasm

Jan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 06:11:00 GMT

We went out to dinner on Sunday, and the restaurant had a beautiful koi pond. Donnie and Grandma spent a lot of time hanging out around the pond.

I think the fish expected to be fed. They followed him like puppies!

As for Donnie, I think he'd have liked to get into the water with the fish.

This window was between the dining room and the area where the koi pond is. It's beautiful, but I was disappointed that it's painted, not fused or stained glass. I'm such a glass snob!

Tom has gotten really creative!

Jan — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:53:00 GMT

You may remember that I've shown you some of Tom's work before. If you don't, you can refresh your memory here.

Tom has really outdone himself this time!

He's made a track for marbles. (The marbles he uses were made by another Aquila glass torcher, Elaine.)

He sets all the marbles at the top, then gives the first one a push to get it started. When it reaches a point on the way down the track, it hits a lever which hits another lever...and gets the next marble started!

Every single part of this---the track, the frame and the marbles....all of it is made of glass. It's always so much fun to watch Tom's work evolve!

New obsession

Jan — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:07:00 GMT

As usual with glass, it's hard to get the whole story from a photo. What's going on here is that the glass is indented, like a bas relief. This is sooooooooo much fun to do!

The pattern is traced onto 1/8" thick fiber paper, then carefully cut out and put under a piece or two of 3 mm art glass. The glass is fused, the fiber paper is removed....and you have a bas relief!

My next goal with this is to try to get more dimension to the graphic.

The liberty bell is my favorite of the ones I've done, but here are photos of the others:

Fort Vancouver

Jan — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:10:00 GMT

This is the restaurant where we had brunch yesterday. It has a Pacific Northwest theme. (Go figure!)

I grew up in New Jersey. Then I moved to western New York. There are forts in both areas. And those forts are remnants of the Revolutionary War. But here? This is all relatively "new country." Lewis and Clark didn't even set out on their expedition until 1804. (I realize that doesn't sound recent to most people, but I'm old. And beyond that, I've spent a lot of time researching my New Jersey ancestors as far back as the mid-1600s.)

When I moved to this area, I saw that there was a fort nearby, Fort Vancouver, and I just assumed that it was a fort left over from the Revolution. Ooooops! Nope...it was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. It was a commercial fort! Every day I'm confronted by the fact that a lot of what I read in history books really happened! (It just didn't happen anywhere near where I lived.)

We live and learn.

Say "Cheese!"

Jan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 04:01:00 GMT

There are commercials on TV these days. I think it's for Comcast...it's for some speedy internet service provider, if not Comcast. The "stars" of the commercials are two turtles who like things slow, and so they like DSL. In one commercial, they're having their pictures taken, and they say a slow, long drawn-out "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese."

Donnie, our TV hound, has seen those commercials. And now, when he gets his picture taken, he says "Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese." He's such a ham!

Here he's standing in front of a statue of a Chinook Indian. The brave is sending praise upward...probably to the gods...but since half the plaque at its base was broken, I can't say for sure.

I am NOT complaining about his TV watching. I worried about how much TV my kids watched. And now one of them is a TV editor, for whom all that TV watching was practice for his future!

My (Grand)sunny Valentine

Jan — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 06:22:00 GMT

Happy Valentine's Day!

Who's laughing now, huh? Huh? Huh?

Jan — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:55:00 GMT

For those of you who don't know the rest of the story, let me explain.

After my husband, Don, died, I had to cut the grass. Not the largest yard in the world, about 60' x 60' in the back, and a lot less in the front. However, between my arthritis, heel spurs and allergies, it was a nightmare for me. So I bought a lawn tractor. Now, my neighbor Joann had a beautiful yard, with flowers all over the place. I would have loved to put a planter full of annuals in the middle of my front yard, but it would mean extra work weed whacking around it, since the tractor couldn't get close.

Sooooo...someone gave me an old, beat up wagon. I spray painted it white, drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, filled it with potting soil, and I planted my little heart out. When I cut the grass, all I had to do was roll the wagon out of the way.

AND THE NEIGHBORS LAUGHED AT ME.

Yesterday I bought Issue #99 of Small Gardens magazine. And the above photo and text was on page 66.

I feel sooooooooooooooo vindicated. But I still miss my Tonawanda neighbors.

What I'd give to be able to do work like this!

Jan — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:11:00 GMT

Glass art by Rafael Cauduro:

The art glass we use for fusing is made by Bullseye Glass Company in Portland. They have sales on their glass twice a year, and the next one starts this coming Tuesday. Aquila Glass, where I go to "play" with glass and then leave it to be fused, takes our orders, picks up the glass for us, then brings it back to the studio where they provide us with room to store it. They sell it to us at the same price we'd pay at Bullseye, so it's win/win for us.  The only drawback is that sometimes, particularly when they come out with new colors, it's hard to visualize the glass from the little 2" square pictures in their catalog. So....to get a sneak peek at the colors, I met Melinda at Bullseye today, and then we went to lunch.

One piece of art that really grabbed me was the one above.  Above is the front; it has a flat surface:

Below is the back. Hard to see in the photo, but it's hollow.   The glass is fused around a molded face.

Bullseye is giving a class on making these molds later this year. It costs $650. I'm afraid I won't be attending.

Hat Trick!

Jan — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 03:27:00 GMT

I couldn't get photos of the subjects of this posting, but I always have photos of my favorite subject. (His eyes are closed because he knew the camera flash was coming.)

Another beautiful, sunny day today. I headed to the glass studio in Portland. Crossing the Columbia River, on the bridge, I had a perfect view of Mt. Hood. Of course, I was on a bridge...an interstate bridge....so no photo. A few miles more, I crossed another bridge, this time an elevated railroad bridge, facing north. In front of me was Mt. St. Helens...and off to the right, way in the distance, I could see Mt. Adams! Since Mt. Adams is about 90 miles away, you know the day is clear when I can see it. Again, I was on a bridge, so no photo op. And once I was off the bridge, I was no longer elevated, so I couldn't see any mountains.

Driving home later, I was thinking about how different the scenery here is from that in the Buffalo, NY area. Just as I was thinking that, I was passed by a truck loaded with huge tree trunks. Nope...never saw that in Buffalo. A minute later, coming from the opposite direction, was a long, long trailer truck. It's load was something metal and looked like an oddly-shaped cylinder. It wasn't until I got to see the whole long thing that I realized what it was....an airplane wing! (I had just passed Portland Airport.) I suppose I could have seen something like that near Buffalo Airport....but I never did.

Tomorrow is the first Wednesday in February. And that means it's Donnie time!!!!!! I'm so excited.

Sweating the Small Stuff

Jan — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:04:00 GMT

Cecille suggested that I make some small pieces (translation: less expensive) that she can use as hostess gifts. I was having a low-energy day, so these were the result. They're 4-1/2" x 4-1/2", and they're a great shape for pillar candles. So she can give them just as they are, or she can get candles to make them more "gifty."

I feel the need to stretch my creativity a little bit...get away from the confetti for a while. Bullseye is having a glass sale in the next few weeks, so I'm looking through their catalog, trying to think of some different things I want to do. Confetti is still my first love with glass, and I still have a lot of things I want to try with it, but I feel like I'm getting stale. (I've also seen something new that I want to try, but I'll keep it to myself until I'm sure I can make something decent.)

In the meantime, it's a beautiful sunny day here! They tell me that the snow we had in December was unusual; by the same token, this much sunshine in the winter is highly unusual! I'll take it though.

Do Over

Jan — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:57:00 GMT

This was my newest piece. You can't tell from the photo, but it's an indented bowl, 5" x 8". I hate it. I hate it because I just picked random pieces of scrap glass in black and gray streaky, and red and white streaky, and I laid them out. There were gaps between the pieces, so I used some red frit (crushed glass) to fill some of the gaps. Then used some scraps of black, white and red which I laid over some of the major gaps.

The problem is that the glass doesn't actually melt in the fusing process. If you look at the red, white and black pieces in the mosaic part, you'll see that they have rounded edges, rather than crisp angles. That's not the effect I wanted. Ergo I hate it.

This, on the other hand, is the back. I like it! It has crisp angles.

I've already paid to have it fused and then slumped (two "firings). But I've decided to make the back the front, which means it has to be slumped flat, turned over and fused again (because the back is no longer shiny), and finally re-slumped. Three more firings. It's turning into a very expensive piece!

Go, Bills!

Jan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:31:00 GMT

Let's say you have a friend whose son is getting married. But the happy couple already has a house and the "stuff" married couples need. What can you give them?

On the other hand, let's say they're Bills fans. And let's say you love playing with glass.

Thanks Cecille, Jim and Donnie!

Jan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:22:00 GMT

Today my Christmas gift from Cecille and Jim arrived. (And Donnie will tell you it's from him, too.) It was just coincidence that Cecille and Donnie stopped by to have lunch with me, so they were here when it arrived.

Just so you know, that light spot on the upper right of the sofa is just that...it's a spot on the photo, not on the sofa.

It's gorgeous! It's very comfortable. And if it gets dirty from Fritz, I can just wash it. YAY!

Happy Birthday, Scott!!!

Jan — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:36:00 GMT

Have a wonderful day, Son!

Your cards and gift are "seasoning" on my dining room table. One of these days they'll make it to the post office.

Just think...your last birthday as a single man. YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Presentation Is Everything

Jan — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:46:00 GMT

Remember this? It's a restaurant that was the object of a misguided contest I had here about a year ago.

Today, for the first time, I went inside. Cecille was working, so Donnie and Jim took me to lunch there. I'm pretty sure the food was very good, but I was so busy looking around that I'm not 100% sure.

This was a view directly across from where I sat.

A boy and his jungle Jim.

This is in the ceiling. It's a complete circle...I just couldn't get low enough to photograph the whole thing. The flowers go all the way around. You can't tell, because the part where they are is recessed from the trim. Yummy looking!

He loved this bell. It must be wonderful to be almost-three-years-old and to find such joy in everything.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Jan — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:46:00 GMT

For me, it just doesn't get much better than this. If Scott and Paulette were here instead of in Florida (lucky them!), then it would be perfect.

I'm still pretty much snowed in here, although the snowfall hasn't been more than about 6" total in 10 days. But no plows = compacted snow and ice on the roads. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I got out with the family last night...to their church, then to a fantastic restaurant for dinner. But Jim drove, and more power to him!

Temps are supposed to rise, as high as 40 degrees by the weekend, so maybe things will go back to normal. Eventually.

Still Buried under (4" of) Snow

Jan — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:43:00 GMT

This bowl (my Christmas gift to Scott) has the Buffalo Sabres logo, cut from copper foil, in the center. I wanted copper "confetti," too, so I snipped pieces of copper foil while I watched some mindless TV shows. The copper turns color when it's heated in the kiln for fusing and slumping. There are no guarantees on what color it will become.

OK, Western New Yorkers...get ready to laugh...or cry...or both.

In my corner of town, we've had, at most, 5" of snow. Then we had rain, and then it froze. There hasn't been a plow in sight, so all that lovely snow and frozen rain is compacted on the streets. I have a hard time wrapping my brain about the "no snow plowing" concept. But there are no plows. This is the most snow this area has received in FIFTY EIGHT years.

Yesterday I drove to Safeway, the supermarket that's just a few blocks from here. I drove on roads that were ridiculously slippery for the little bit of snow that has fallen. About 2 or 3 inches of compacted snow and ice cover the road, except for the trenches where the utility companies have shoveled out access to manhole covers.

Schools are closed for the holidays, but they were closed for several days last week. Libraries are closed. No garbage collection this week. AT ALL. Churches were all closed on Sunday. Highways are closed. Many are still closed to cars without chains. I've gotten around on better maintained roads when there was a foot of snow.

On the other hand, I now realize why my property taxes are so much lower here than in Tonawanda. Can you imagine what it costs for a city to own plows, buy road salt, hire plow drivers, and maintain insurance (for all the property damage the plows do)???

Fritz and I are snug. Most of my Christmas gifts are bought (but the elves haven't gotten here to wrap them yet). I have plenty of food, my house is warm, and I have the internet to keep me amused. I'd be happier if I had some novels to read, but I've finished off my supply of new ones this past week. The biggest crisis for me is that McAfee (virus protection) has decided that all the Big Fish games are infected with Trojans, and it deleted all the games and won't let me reinstall them. The upside to this is that I've better organized all my kitchen cupboards.